Is there a downside to Homeland Security being shut down?

[Scuba]

Republican legislators are on the hot seat due to their budget shenanigans putting the funding of DHS at risk. So what?

2 votes, 2 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Oh nos! The terrorists would win if DHS is shut down.
	0 (0%)
	Hey, it's OK. DHS just eats a lot of tax dollars without making us any safer anyway.
	2 (100%)
	I like polls.
	0 (0%)
	2 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[marym625]

1. How about we move the money

To things like feeding the children, caring for the elderly, the disabled? Maybe some job growth that doesn't only help the top 3%?

[KentuckyWoman]

2. who would feel up my boobs at the airport?

If we fire the DHS no one would be paying the TSA agents who steal my stuff and grope me.... and I'm pretty sure they won't do that for free.

Seriously. It's not right I should fly without being groped and told my lipstick is a weapon.

[dixiegrrrrl]

23. Is it known for sure that TSA would be unfunded?

Often these threats to defund some part of Gov. turn out to be only the inconsequential segments of the budget.

IF TSA has to stand down, I am all for it.

[handmade34]

29. in some defense

and explanation... my daughter was TSA until she hired onto ICE... defunding DHS would just cause the people that work for the agencies to have to work for delayed pay... it is a really stupid, bad idea all 'round...

as always it is the workers (such as my daughter) that get hurt

[NuclearDem]

3. Well, FEMA is a part of DHS.

[RiffRandell]

6. That worked out really well during Katrina. nt

[NutmegYankee]

8. So even though the agency has been repaired/revamped after the Bush II sabotage...

The choice just because of Katrina is "Shet err down"?

[RiffRandell]

9. No, you made a good point; I made a bad joke. nt

[NutmegYankee]

10. Oh. Sorry.

My funny meter is tagged out waiting for coffee input.

[RiffRandell]

12. I'm on my first cup myself and had 2 extra teens spend the night.

[bluedigger]

24. FEMA is still working in Louisiana.

I have a lot of friends there and spent three years myself as a civilian contractor for them. They are doing good work under difficult circumstances (i.e. working with Bobby Jindal's state government). I'd just as soon not see them laid off.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. FEMA Existed Anyway

Take them back out of DHS. They don't belong there anyway.

[KittyWampus]

21. separate issue from the immediate possibility of shutting DHS down now.

So while I agree about FEMA and Secret Service out of DHS… it's not immediately practical.

[NuclearDem]

25. Doesn't really address the issue

In the midst of snowstorms and freezing temperatures, FEMA has to remain operating to help deal with potential emergencies.

On top of that, if FEMA shuts down, pre-disaster mitigation programs go with it, and a lot of local communities depend on FEMA funding for that sort of preparation.

[NutmegYankee]

4. Well, lots of Civil Servants with families to feed would not be paid.

But most would still be required to work.

[RiffRandell]

5. Remember that ranger out in the boonies

in Fahrenheit 911? Talk about a waste of $$$$.

[winter is coming]

7. So much falls under that umbrella that some part of it must be useful.

Personally, I'd like to see the DHS disbanded. I detest the word "homeland" and I don't believe that lumping all those agencies together did anything to foster communication between them.

[MADem]

11. DHS was just a way to consolidate and strengthen intelligence agencies and "put them in line."

Frankly, I think they do better if they're a bit adversarial. You risk having some asshole not share needed information on the one hand, but that is balanced by avoiding 'groupthink' which can get us in huge trouble (see Vietnam, invasion of Iraq, stuff like that).

I say dump it--give the POTUS a WH advisor who can ride herd on intelligence agencies without the stupid "department" and the associated bloated staff full of political appointees. DHS is like Reagan's "Star Wars" -- a bigass government welfare project, designed to employ loyal stooges.

[JustAnotherGen]

13. Suspicious containers

At ports/points of entry. From a commerce perspective it's sometimes better to be safe than make money. I also believe down in the Savannah Georgia area they do a good job of stepping in and helping people who are "shipped". Not sure if that's still going on but when I completed my import control and CTPAT training with the owner of a port control company owner in June 2011 there was a lot of that going on.

[leveymg]

27. I thought the industrial X-raying of containers took care of that problem.

Sorry about that - a bit of Homeland Security humor.

[Historic NY]

14. All depends, hope your not flying any where.....

it could close, immigration, passport, federal facilities, a whole host of protective stuff including cybesecurity.

[Adrahil]

18. Passports are still done at the State Fepartment, no? n/t

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Downside Is Nearly Zero

The whole thing required only one team of IT specialists who would create system interfaces so all intelligence agencies knew what the others knew.

Would have cost $50 million a year instead of 50 billion

[Jesus Malverde]

16. OMG our borders might be unprotected!!!

Snicker

[former9thward]

19. No matter what happens Homeland Security will not shut down.

They have already said 90% of the employees will keep working. Only the "non essential" employees will be furloughed so the average person will not know the difference.

[L0oniX]

20. How did we ever get by before DHS and cell phones?

[KittyWampus]

22. There are real, immediate implications for every day citizens if DHS is shut down.

I would prefer to see it broken apart but until that is done properly saying you want it shut down now BEFORE things have been sorted out or that it wouldn't impact regular people in America is flatly stupid.

[handmade34]

31. ...

[treestar]

34. +1 It is just silly to dismiss it out of hand

There are a lot of things we are not aware of that it likely does that are things that need doing.

And there are terrorists who do plan attacks - I love the way they dismiss that out of hand as though it is impossible.

[leveymg]

26. I miss my Daily Color-Coded Alerts

Made me feel snuggly and safe.

[RandySF]

28. I think Katrina answered that question.

[Agnosticsherbet]

30. Approximately 388,000 people work for Homeland Security

200,000 contractors and188,000 federal employees.

Even those who are considered critical and must come to work will not get paid.

Unless Congress acts and allows those who are not critical employees to get retroactive pay because Congressional Douche-bags could not come to an agreement, they are going to hurt by the loss of money.

The downside is that American citizens who have jobs will be hurt because Congress is occupied by partisan idiots. Partisan douche-bag idiots will be paid as usual.

[Lifelong Protester]

32. Isn't the Secret Service now a part of DHS?

[CJCRANE]

33. There's only one way to find out...

Shut it down and see what happens.